The introduction of new computer software means that it’s time to say good-bye to an old -- and outdated -- permitting and licensing fee schedule for the City of Batavia, according to a memo from City Manager Rachael Tabelski dated Oct. 25 and sent out ahead of Monday’s City Council Conference Meeting.
Council will convene at 7 p.m. for the Conference Meeting, which features a full slate of agenda items. A Special Business Meeting set up to vote on three of those items will follow.
In the memo, Tabelski promotes Energov software, a program that creates digital files for permits and licensing that will make life easier for Inspection Bureau staff. However, some of the current fees are not articulated clearly enough to jive with that software.
Additionally, she reports that a review of the city’s current processes and procedures – along with permit fees – was conducted.
Noting that the fee schedule hasn’t been updated in at least 15 years and has resulted in varying, inaccurate cost calculations, she is proposing a new fee schedule – a revised list of charges for certain projects that was approved by the Inspections Bureau, Plumbing Board and Bureau of Maintenance.
“In order to ensure that permit fees can be calculated in Energov and to create a permit fee schedule that is fair to all, a new fee schedule is proposed,” Tabelski wrote. “Many permits are proposed to be a flat fee. Permits that are not a flat fee have been structured for easy calculation by staff, the public and will easily compute in Energov.”
The memo indicates that work performed by the property owner will be calculated by square foot. If the project is not included on the list of flat fee permits – such as a porch rebuild or removal of a load-bearing wall – then the value of the cost of the project would be multiplied by 1.2 percent to determine the fee. Also, the fee will triple if work is done without a permit.
If approved by Council, changes would take effect on Jan. 1, 2022.
Tabelski put together a chart showing items up for revision and compared the proposed new cost to fees in Canandaigua, Lockport, Rome and Glens Falls.
Items on the list for revision, followed by the current fee, proposed fee (in bold), and fees in the four cities listed above in order:
- Re-roof all 1-family dwelling (2,200 sq ft - $13,000) -- $52, $65, $100, $59, $75, $50.
- Re-roof porch only (350 sq ft - $1,800) -- $40, $35, $100, $51, $75, $50.
- Re-roof commercial (1,200 sq ft - $26,000) -- $113, $312, $100, $150, $200, $150.
- Six-foot vinyl fence ($15,000) -- $65, $65, $50, $20, $75, $25.
- Six-foot wood fence ($7,000) -- $43, $65, $50, $20, $75, $25.
- Entire house vinyl siding (1,600 sq ft - $14,000) -- $53.50, $65, $480, $47, $75, $400.
- 1-family (375 sq ft - $22,000) -- $115.50, $264, $300, $150, $100, $200.
- Commercial addition (1,400 sq ft-$105,000) -- $550, $1,260, $500, $350, $200, $350.
Other Conference Meeting agenda items are as follows:
- Agreements with the Town of Batavia for city personnel to repair and maintain 31 street lights the town is putting up on Park Road in the area of Batavia Downs Gaming and a traffic control device the town is installing at the intersection of Route 98 and Federal Drive, north of the city.
In both cases, the city would invoice the town for labor and material costs.
Currently, city employees maintain the traffic light for the town at Veterans Memorial Drive and the Towne Center.
- Acceptance of a $500,000 Restore New York Grant that was awarded to the city in 2017 to assist Savarino Companies for demolition, rehabilitation and adaptive re-use of the existing former National Grid electric building in connection with the Ellicott Station project.
As a condition of disbursing the funds to Savarino, the Buffalo developer is required to enter into an “Undertaking Agreement” with the city to assume a portion or all of the obligations of the city under the grant.
- Mid-fiscal year transfers due to expenses incurred in excess of budgeted amounts set in April.
These include $30,000 from the contingency fund into the legal services budget for increased litigation costs, $12,000 from contingency into the information technology budget for an increase in the number of monitored computer servers, and $25,000 from the public works administrative salary account to the DPW engineering account for expenses owed to LaBella Associates in light of the city’s ongoing search for a DPW director.
